Nix rode with Jesse in the Mustang, nervously watching the lights
of the city go by. She could see that they were heading into an area well
outside their normal playground, and one she really didn't ever hang out
in.

She thought of asking Jesse where they were going, but didn't want
to anger the other woman. She'd already asked once, when they were getting
in the car, and Jesse had glared at her and told her she'd see when they
got there, or she could leave right then and call the whole thing off.
Nix had merely clenched her teeth and gotten in the car.

Jesse pulled them into an alley and parked at one of four spaces
marked private. Reaching across the car, she opened the glove box and grabbed
a black and red placard out. She hung in from the rear view mirror, then
motioned Nix to get out.

She led the way to the door, then turned to the blond vampire behind
her.

"All right. You're about to show me how much you care. From this
point on, I'm in charge. You will not argue, or disagree. If I introduce
you to someone, you will be nice, and call them mistress. You will do only
what I tell you, and you will answer only when I speak to you. Is that
clear?"

Nix raised an eyebrow, but nodded. She had a feeling she knew what
kind of establishment they were going into, but the only real thought in
her mind was that of needing to please Jesse, to see the sweet smile she'd
missed on that dark face. Seeing that would be worth anything.

Nodding once, Jesse opened the door and entered, leaving Nix to trail
along after her.

They went down a short hallway, ending up in front of what looked
like a check-in desk of some kind. Jesse hit the buzzer on the desk, and
Nix watched as a woman came out of a doorway.

She was slightly older than Jesse; Nix thought she looked about mid
forties. Her brown hair had just started to go grey at the temples. She
wore blue jeans, and a tight leather vest with no shirt under it. Wrinkles
lined her face, and she grinned at Jesse as she took a cigarette out of
her mouth.

"'Bout time you showed your puss around here again. Thought maybe
you'd got too good for us or somethin'."

The vampire's blue eyes opened wide, and she stared at Jesse for
a moment. Jesse merely watched her, and eventually, Nix reached into her
jacket for her wallet. She opened it and pulled out a few bills, then looked
up at Delores in question.

"Two-fifty."

Nix checked her wallet, but shook her head. She didn't have enough
cash, so she pulled out a credit card and handed it to the woman.

Jesse watched without comment.

The card was rung up, and Delores handed Jesse a key. "Number sixteen.
You remember where?"

"Yeah, I remember. Thanks, Delores." Without a word to Nix, Jesse
headed off down a hall, her long legs setting a pace that Nix was hard
put to keep up with.

They turned two corners, and Jesse stopped in front of a door with
the number sixteen on it. She unlocked it and motioned Nix to go in first.

The room was dark, until Jesse reached for the light switch and flipped
it on. Nix gasped.

"Cool, huh?"

It was a dungeon, complete with chains hanging from two posts in
the middle of the room, a table with manacles attached, and a rack that
held all manner of tools from whips to --

Nix squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed several times.

"Ever been in a place like this before?"

The vampire nodded. "They aren't pleasant memories."

Jesse laughed. "What, did you not enjoy getting worked over?"

Pictures of another dungeon, much darker, with only fire lighting
the area, flashed through Nix's mind. For a second she could hear the screams.
Then she forced the memories away and turned to stare at Jesse.

"No, I didn't enjoy it. I was tortured for days, and when I finally
got out, it was because they thought I was dead. If Tess hadn't found me,
I would have been." She took a breath. "That was for real, Jess. It wasn't
for pleasure, it was because I had something they wanted. When I wouldn't
tell them anything, they broke my legs and my back. Tess and Nora had to
nurse me for months before I could walk again."

There was silence between them. Jesse finished taking her coat off
and hung it on the back of the door. Her face was very serious.

Nix turned away, closing her eyes again. For the first time that
evening she was wondering if going to Jesse's had been a mistake after
all.

She felt the warmth of Jesse's body moving up behind her, but she
didn't turn. Even when Jesse slowly put an arm around her and pulled her
backwards, she didn't move more than she had to.

Jesse's eyebrows knotted together in thought. "This is about . .
. trust."

"I--"

"No, wait, listen to me." Nix subsided, and Jesse took a breath to
continue. "This is about trust, for both of us. I know, you came to the
apartment tonight and offered yourself, and that should be enough. But
it isn't. For either of us, and I think you know that."

Slowly, the blonde head moved up and down in confirmation.

"You being willing to let me have control is great, but you need
to know that I can actually take that control, and that you can trust me
with it." She moved around to Nix's front, tilting the vampire's head up
to look at her. "Not everything that happens here is going to be fun. At
times it'll downright hurt. But if you can ride through it, I'll take you
somewhere you've never been."

Nix's smile was hesitant. "Jess, I'm fifteen hundred years old. There's
no place I haven't been."

"Oh, but there is. Because I'm the only one who can take you there.
And I want to, if you'll let me."

The vampire inhaled deeply, letting the air out slowly. Jesse felt
the smaller body in front of her relaxing just a little.

"What do you need from me?" Nix asked quietly.

"I need to know you won't run away anymore."

Blue eyes glared at Jesse. "I --"

"I need to know that when things get rough, you're not gonna bail
on me. I can't take it again, Nix."

The silence stretched between them.

Finally, Nix sighed. "So. No safeword tonight, huh?"

"You have a safeword. It's 'freedom'."

One blond eyebrow was raised in question.

"If you choose to use it, I'll get you out of the cuffs, get you
dressed, and I'll take you where ever you want to go, whether it's your
place or Dayle's, or even Trey's. But," Jesse paused for a moment, till
Nix was looking at her again, "if you choose to use it, there will be nothing
left between us."

Nix blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. If you use your safeword, it's over."

Jesse waited for an answer, but Nix just opened her mouth and closed
it a couple of times. With a sigh, Jesse stepped away from her and turned
away. After a moment she sensed movement behind her, but she stayed where
she was, hoping Nix wouldn't run.

"Where do we start?"

Turning, Jesse found Nix standing quietly in the middle of the room,
beside the posts.

"Start with your clothes. Take them off, then stand between the posts."

Nix nodded and slipped her boots and jacket off. She slowly slipped
the buttons of her jeans through their holes, watching Jess, who nodded
her approval. The blue jeans slipped down her legs and off. She tossed
them on a bench near the door. Her shirt landed on the bench and she moved
nervously into position.

As Jesse placed the cuffs on her wrists and ankles, Nix swallowed
hard, taking deep breaths to relax. Soon, the chains were pulled tight,
and she was spread eagle between the two posts. Jesse had hooked a metal
bar into place over her head, attaching the cuffs to that as well. The
chains to the posts kept her arms spread, but the bar over her head would
keep her from sagging too much, even if her knees gave out.

"Are you all right?"

Nix looked up into the dark eyes that watched her. She nodded. "I'm
okay. And I'm not running."

Jesse smiled at her, then leaned down and kissed Nix gently. "This
isn't going to be easy for you."

Jesse started slowly. Beginning with a suede flogger, she warmed
Nix's skin. First, she teased, caressing the skin of Nix's belly with the
whip, then twirling the tails around her nipples. Moving to her back, she
ran the leather across the vampire's neck, down her back, and then up between
her legs. After letting Nix get used to the feel of the leather, she pulled
her arm back and landed one stinging lash full force across her shoulders.
Nix yelped, and Jesse smiled. Then, using a steady rhythm and firm strokes,
she brought the whip down on Nix's back, her ass, her thighs, and her shoulders.
Lighter strokes caressed her belly and chest. How long it continued, Nix
couldn't say, as she slowly began to enjoy the warmth each stroke would
leave behind.

She noticed it when Jesse changed instruments, moving to a heavier
flogger with wider tails. The blows began to sting against her already
sensitive skin, and she had to clench her teeth to stop from yelling once
or twice. But even this pain began to fade as the strokes continued falling.
The warmth returned, and Nix even began to feel the first strong hints
of arousal as she tightened her thigh muscles against the strokes of the
flogger.

There was a break in the rhythm as Jesse chose a new whip. This one
was different, a long handle with one leather tail. It looked almost like
a shorter version of a bull whip. The tip of it was a pliable piece of
leather capable of curling completely around an object.

Jesse moved in front of Nix and smiled. "Ready for something different?"

Nix nodded.

"Uh-uh. Use your voice, Phoenix."

"Ready."

The voice was a little hoarse, but still strong, and Jesse nodded.
She pulled her arm back and swung.

Her aim was excellent and Nix clamped her mouth down to stop herself
from screaming. Jesse's whip had snaked around her breast, striking the
nipple dead on and leaving a stinging sensation that almost buckled the
vampire's knees. The second stroke fell on the other nipple, and Nix bit
her lip, letting a moan escape.

By the fifth and sixth strokes, she was twisting in her bonds, her
breath coming in gasps as the pain flooded through her.

After the tenth stroke, Jesse stopped and quietly stepped towards
Nix. She waited until the blue eyes opened again and focused on her. Then
she carefully ran the whip between Nix's legs, back and forth several times.
As she did this, she reached up with her other hand and slipped a clamp
on the vampire's right nipple. Nix's head went back with a groan. After
another moment, the left nipple was encased in metal as well, and Nix was
yanking on her chains and tightening her muscles against the pain.

Jesse leaned down and kissed the captive nipples, then kissed Nix
on the lips before moving away to find a new whip.

She switched to a cat, one of soft leather, but with knots on the
ends of the tails. The first few blows took Nix's mind off her clamped
nipples and brought it to her ass, which was now turning a bright shade
of red.

Carefully counting the strokes, Jesse listened as Nix's cries move
to a higher and higher pitch. When she got to twenty five, she stopped
and got a bottle of water, taking several long gulps from it. Then she
moved to Nix's front and offered her some water as well.

Nix swallowed the liquid eagerly, between panting breaths. Jesse
let her have three gulps, then took the bottle away. Calmly, she waited
until Nix caught her breath, then leaned in and kissed her.

It was not a gentle kiss, but a commanding one instead. Jesse took
the vampire's lips roughly, her tongue filling and stroking and probing.
She felt the vampire begin panting again and pulled away slightly.

"Open your mouth."

Nix did.

"Lower your fangs. I want to see them."

The blue eyes widened, but she did as she was told.

Jesse leaned forward, her tongue snaking out to curl around the fangs.
Gently, she licked each of them, carefully maneuvering around the tips,
not wanting to arouse Nix's craving yet.

Nix couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She didn't know when Jesse
had realized that her fangs were highly sensitive, but she was very glad
the dark woman had figured it out. The combination of the ache in her breasts,
the stinging heat of her ass, and the pure pleasure of having her fangs
stimulated were combining to raise her desire. Without realizing it, she
moved her hips towards Jesse, seeking a firmer contact with her body.

Sensing it, Jesse pulled away. She chuckled a little and reached
down to touch Nix. Her fingers came away wet.

"Well. Someone's enjoying herself."

Nix tried to smile, but it was chased away as Jesse tugged on one
of her still clamped nipples.

"Don't get comfy, little one. We've a long way to go yet."

The vampire nodded, her eyes still closed.

Jesse chuckled, then slipped back behind Nix. She switched to her
next choice for a tool, a heavier cat with stiffer leather and more knots.
This one, she knew, would be the first serious test of Nix's will power.

The first blow brought a half scream from the blonde vampire, and
Jesse waited a moment for her to regain her composure. Then she raised
her arm and began her strokes, one after another, carefully measured to
cause pain without breaking the skin.

Instead of concentrating on just Nix's ass, the blows fell on her
back and her legs as well. The insides and outsides of her thighs changed
color, from a normal tan to pink, and then to a dark red. Soon, Nix was
shouting, and Jesse could hear the tears in her voice.

Jesse switched back to the suede flogger to keep the sensations strong
without causing more damage. Nix's shouts dropped to moans, and instead
of trying to pull away from the whip, she was moving with it. After the
pain of the cat, the flogger felt more like a caress.

The blows stopped altogether, and Jesse smiled. Setting the whip
aside, she kicked her boots off, then pulled off her T-shirt. Her left
arm was tired, and to give herself a break, she'd planned a special interlude.
After stripping down to just her jeans, she slipped a leather harness on,
but didn't attach a dildo. That would come later.

Nix stood still, panting, waiting. She heard Jesse moving around
for several minutes and then coming closer. Suddenly there were hands on
her ass, rubbing and massaging her buttocks. She groaned, pushing backward
into Jesse, wanting more contact. What she got instead was the feeling
of hot oil being rubbed into her rectum. She gasped as the heat penetrated
her mind.

"Easy, love. Hold still for me." Jesse's voice was soft and reassuring.
Nix let the voice calm her, and she relaxed, feeling Jesse's hands on her
ass.

Jesse smiled, feeling Nix's muscles unclench. Slowly, she worked
a finger into the tight orifice, making sure to keep her hands well lubed.
Twisting and turning, pushing and pulling, she felt the tight ring of muscle
expand, fraction by fraction. Soon she was able to slip a second finger
inside.

Nix closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations. Her body was still
on fire from the whips, but the pain had both receded and transformed,
becoming a tingling fire that coated her skin. Mixed with that fire was
Jesse's current manipulations, which soon had the flames licking at her
desire. She moaned and tried to shift her legs wider apart.

Hearing Nix moan, Jesse reached for her newest tool, the anal plug
that she'd carefully prepared just moments earlier. Slipping her fingers
out, she slowly pushed the plug into place and waited.

It didn't take long. Nix first moaned at the feeling of being full,
but then frowned when she felt a strange heat spreading into her. It was
centered around the area Jesse had been working on, and it wasn't fading.
Instead, it was steadily growing, until Nix was groaning, then crying and
pulling at her bonds.

"Jesse? Oh, gods, Jesse, please. Shit, that -- it burns, please,
it hurts, make it stop."

Slowly and carefully, Jesse slid her hands up Nix's back, then around
to her breasts. She began to massage them gently, curling her hands around
them, but staying away from the clamped nipples. As the heat began to escalate,
she whispered in Nix's ear.

Jesse kissed her throat, her cheek, her ear, as she slowly attached
a chain to each nipple clamp. Nix, caught up in the burning within her
ass, never noticed.

Pulling back just a little, Jesse reached down and connected the
plug in Nix to the strap that she was wearing. Placing her hands on Nix's
hips she pulled slowly away, then pushed back in. Nix arched backwards
in her arms, still crying.

"Jesse, please."

"Easy, Nix. Ride it with me. Come on, baby."

Keeping up a steady rhythm with her hips, Jesse reached around in
front of Nix, one hand gathering the ends of the two chains, the other
reaching down to slide between Nix's thighs. Her finger found Nix's clitoris,
and she started stroking it, long strokes down the shaft and back up. As
the plug was pulled out, her finger went down; as the plug went in, her
finger slid up the clitoral shaft.

Nix could feel the finger on her clit, but the painful heat still
had her full attention. With Jesse moving the plug steadily now, the heat
had increased, the friction adding to the already sensitive area. For a
moment, she thought of using her safe word. Biting her lip hard, she shook
her head.

"Jesse, help me, please. I can't take -- I can't --"

"Shh, Nix. Not much longer. Come on, baby, just hang on. You're almost
there. When you come, I want you to scream for me."

With the tears still rolling down her face, Nix pushed her head back
and sucked in a breath. Her body ached, her ass was still burning, but
Jesse's fingers on her clit had done their job, and now she could feel
the desire again, the rising tide of sexual need, and the beginnings of
an orgasm. The pressure continued to build, and she was yanking on the
chains that held her hands, her muscles tightening down till the bar itself
began to bend.

When she felt the first initial spasms hit Nix, Jesse shifted her
fingers to the head of Nix's clitoris, rubbing it hard and fast in circles.
The shaking in the smaller body grew stronger, and Nix's cries became incoherent.
Waiting just a fraction of a minute more, Jesse slammed the plug in tightly
and pulled hard on the chains, making the clamps snap off of the vampire's
nipples.

Nix came, screaming and bucking hard against Jesse, her body spasming
out of control. The orgasm seemed endless, and when it finally released
her, she hung limp in the chains, her body weak and throbbing.

Jesse pulled the plug out carefully, holding Nix as she bucked one
last time. Then she was unsnapping the harness and tossing it into the
bag for cleaning later. She reached for a wet towel and carefully wiped
the leftover lube and gel from between Nix's legs. The gel still left inside
Nix would keep her ass hot, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Jesse
decided. Slipping around in front of Nix, she kissed her gently, wrapping
her arms around the small body to hold it up.

The vampire lowered her fangs and opened her mouth. She closed her
eyes as Jesse reached in and began to stroke her fangs gently. The steady
rhythm kept her from noticing when Jesse slipped one finger under a fang
and let it pierce the skin.

But the sudden blood scent in the air brought the blue eyes open
in a hurry.

Jesse held Nix's chin with one hand. She watched the blood well up
in the puncture wound on her finger. When she thought there was enough
there, she smeared the blood along Nix's top lip, right under her nose,
and all around her nostrils.

The fresh blood awoke Nix's craving, and she had to swallow. "What
are you doing?"

"Arousing you. Want a taste?" Jesse held the bleeding finger up for
Nix. "You can lick it once."

After arguing with herself, Nix finally let her tongue slip out to
taste the blood on Jesse's finger. Keeping her tongue in contact with the
skin, she trailed from the bottom of the finger to the tip, holding her
tongue over the bloody puncture for several seconds, until Jesse pulled
her hand away.

"You like that?"

Nix nodded.

"Want more?"

Another nod.

"Good. Consider it incentive." Jesse licked the rest of the blood
from the finger. "Ready?"

They did hold, though a little unsteadily. Jesse stayed still in
the chair she'd moved over to the posts, but buttoned her jeans once again.

"Need some water?"

"Please."

Jesse handed her a bottle and let Nix have a long drink. Then she
picked up the towel she'd thrown across the back of her chair and wet it
thoroughly. The towel was placed around Nix's neck, cooling her body and
easing a little of her tension.

"Ready for your arms to go back up?"

Nix sighed, but nodded. She raised her hands in the air, watching
as Jesse hooked her wrist cuffs back to the chains.

"Wow. You bent the bar pretty good, baby."

"Sorry."

Jesse grinned and kissed the vampire. "Don't be. It's better that
you bend that than break the chains, and you'd have an easier time doing
that if the bar wasn't there."

Nix wasn't sure what to say to that, so she just nodded.

Letting her lover settle into position, Jesse moved the chair back
to where it had been, against the wall by the whip rack. While there she
chose a few more tools. Nix watched as Jesse chose a flogger with very
wide straps, then winced when a braided and knotted cat was chosen. Finally,
Jesse reached for a long iron rod, and Nix almost stopped breathing.

Her heart began beating double time as she watched Jesse move over
to an electric heater and turn it on.

"Jesse, no."

"Hm?" Jesse turned back to Nix. "What did you say?"

"No. You can't -- I mean -- Jesse, please, no." Nix was almost frantic
in her pleading, twisting in her bonds. "No, Jesse. I can't. Please."

"Can't what, Nix?"

"I -- You -- Jesse, you can't brand me." The fear in Nix's voice
was obvious, and Jesse realized she was on the verge of panic. "Please,
you can't do this."

Jesse moved closer to her, pulling a black cloth from her back pocket.
"Easy, little one."

"No, Jesse, you don't -- I -- you can't --"

She was silenced as Jesse kissed her hard, commandingly. The contact
beat back the panic a little, but as they separated, Jesse could still
see the tension in the corded muscles of Nix's neck.

"Who's topping, Nix? Who's in control?"

The vampire swallowed. "You are."

"You gave me that control, didn't you? You said you trusted me, and
you wanted me to top you. Right?"

Nix nodded, her breathe coming in short bursts. "But --"

"No." Jesse ran a hand down her face. "No 'buts', Nix. You gave me
control. I told you I'd get you through this. Do you believe that, or do
you want to end this?"

"I --" Nix swallowed, and took a deep breath. "I'm scared." It was
a simple statement, but seemed the only one she could say.

Jesse smiled and stroked her cheek. "I know. And that's all right."
The dark haired woman leaned forward and gently kissed Nix. "But you can
either face the fear, or run. It's your choice."

The blue eyes searched Jesse's black ones for several long moments.
What she found there both reassured and frightened her.

"You're going to do it, aren't you?" It wasn't really a question,
but Nix wanted to hear Jesse say it.

But Jesse didn't answer. "The only thing that's important is whether
or not you trust me. Whether or not I can trust you. I want to. I want
to know that you're gonna be by my side. And I want you to know that I'll
be by yours. I won't drive you away, and I won't leave you wanting." She
kissed Nix again. "I can take you where you need to go, where you want
to go, Nix. But you have to trust me."

They locked eyes again, the silence loud in their ears.

Nix realized, for the first time that night, that this was the Jesse
she had wanted that first night, and ever since. This was the part of Jesse
that had been locked away. The strong, aggressive, controlling top who
could take a woman to the end of her sanity and back. And in that moment
of realization, she found herself falling in love again.

"I trust you." The vampire took a shuddering breath. "I'm still scared.
But I trust you."

Jesse nodded, brushing hair back from Nix's face. "I'll take care
of you, baby. I promise."

A swallow, and Nix nodded. A smile crossed Jesse's face, and she
leaned forward to kiss the vampire once more. Then she brought the blindfold
up and wrapped it around Nix's eyes.

Her heart rate picked up again, but Nix took several deep breaths
in an effort to calm herself. She told herself she could handle the fear,
and even the pain when it came. Jesse needed her to, and she would.

For her part, Jesse just sat for a moment, watching Nix's internal
struggle as it was portrayed across the vampire's face. She saw the fear
and trust war with each other, and then the deep breathing that seemed
to bring a sense of calm. Knowing the trust that Nix was demonstrating,
she smiled, wanting to reward that trust.

"I love you, Phoenix." Jesse kissed her lips, then moved away.

Nix stood stunned for several moments, until the dizziness told her
she needed to breathe.

Jesse spent several minutes arranging equipment, then moved behind
Nix. She once again started her lashes with the suede flogger, but soon
switched to the hard cat she'd chosen minutes before. Then she switched
hands, from her left, which had more power, to her right, which had more
control. The blows came a little slower, but in more specific spots, exact
spots, repeatedly, till Nix was clenching her her hands around the chains
and groaning with each blow.

Wiping sweat from her face, Jesse drank more water, then picked up
her last whip. It was a cruel cat, with sharp beads threaded into the leather
ends. It was meant to break the skin, and it did; the one blow Jesse used
it for opened up several small gashes on Nix's back. The vampire screamed,
and Jesse saw the one of the chain links above Nix's wrists give slightly.

Nix tensed, anticipating another blow. Part of her was shocked that
Jesse had drawn blood, and another part was angry, but the blood scent
in the air had awakened her craving as much as the smell of Jesse's blood
on her face. Between the craving and the emotion, along with the great
deal of endorphins in her body, she wasn't feeling as much pain as expected.
Still, she tightened her muscles instinctively.

But Jesse wasn't planning on using the whip again. Instead, she picked
up a candle and lit it.

"Damn, Nix, you're bleeding. Gonna have to do something about that."

"Wha--ssss. . . " Nix had to stop her question and hiss as the first
drop of wax splashed onto her back.

Jesse took her time, making sure she covered all the bloody marks
on Nix's back with a thick layer of wax. Normally, she'd be using a white
candle, specially made for these types of games, but with Nix's extra strength
and healing ability, Jess had chosen a black candle instead to keep the
heat in.

And it was staying right where she put it.

Nix flinched with every drop, gasping. Every breath brought the scent
of fresh blood, a mixture of Jesse's and her own, and each lungful of air
drove her craving and desire up higher. Each drop of wax caused more endorphins
to flow, until finally, she was just a bundle of sensation and need, writhing
in her bonds.

Satisfied that the cuts were covered well enough, and noticing Nix's
increased agitation, Jesse blew out the candle and set it aside. She picked
up the rest of her accessories, and moved in front of Nix. She squeezed
her punctured finger hard to get blood flowing again, then once more wiped
it over and around Nix's nose, this time also covering her lips.

"Need something, love?"

"Jesse, please, fuck, I --"

"Shh. I know. I know what you want." Opening the tube of oil, Jesse
poured a generous amount onto her hand and carefully moved in between Nix's
thighs. "Hang on, baby. This ride ain't over yet; we're just switching
tracks."

Nix tried to say something but it was lost in the groan that escaped
her when Jesse slid two fingers into her vagina.

"Like that?"

Incapable of speech, the vampire could only moan and nod. Every few
moments, her tongue darted out to taste the blood on her lips. Instead
of relieving it, the smeared blood merely drove her craving higher. Her
fangs were down, and she couldn't even think about retracting them.

A third finger was quickly added, and then a forth. Several twists
of a nipple, and a swipe over Nix's clit, and Jesse's thumb joined the
rest of her hand as it slid home into Nix.

The vampire noticed the feeling of fullness, but it only added to
the euphoria that was slowly taking over. Her body was so tired, but the
pain and exhaustion, desire and craving, had turned into a drug that filled
her veins, singing to her dazed mind. Anything Jesse did was fine, felt
wonderful, because Nix could no longer feel pain.

Jesse knew she'd brought Nix to that magical point of flying, where
everything was good. It had been nearly three hours since they'd started,
and she was ready to drop herself, but she smiled in satisfaction. Now,
if she could just get Nix that final little bit, from euphoria to nirvana,
she'd be happy.

Carefully, she slid her fist back and forth, drawing groans of pleasure
from Nix. Up and down, in and out, she kept moving, increasing the sensation
the vampire was trapped in. Every so often, she tweaked a nipple hard,
or slapped at a bruised thigh. It was the combination of pleasure and pain
that she needed to keep Nix on the knife edge of passion.

She felt the vampire's body gathering itself for an orgasm, and stopped
her movement. Keeping her arm still, she reached behind Nix and slapped
her ass several times. Nix groaned, and the orgasm retreated. Moments later,
Jesse restarted her slow fisting, re-igniting the flames she'd just dampened.

Once more, as Nix approached orgasm, Jesse stopped her motion and
concentrated on pinching and slapping several bruises that were showing.
Nix thrashed, yanking on her bonds, trying anything to make Jesse give
her what she was beginning to desperately want. But Jess moved with her
movements, not letting Nix off the hook yet.

And the hook had been set deeply. Pain was pleasure, but pleasure
was slowly becoming an agony as Jesse teased her. Nix was tired, but she
couldn't stop moving, couldn't stop panting for breath. She'd long ago
finished licking the blood from her lips, but it was still smeared around
her nostrils, so any inhale through her nose made her hunger rise. Between
her need for an orgasm and her craving for blood, Nix wasn't sure how much
longer she could stay sane.

Jesse waited until the thrashing had stopped, and slipped a finger
from her free hand between Nix's labia. Trying not to touch the vampire's
sensitive clitoris, she carefully clamped a butterfly vibrator to the damp
flesh. Nix moaned, but Jesse had to wonder if that was from feeling the
clamp she'd just used, or just a general over excitement groan.

Then she started pistoning her fist inside the blonde vampire, driving
harder, pushing farther in than she had before.

The fucking continued, harder, faster, with Nix writhing more and
more, her hands wrapped around the chains, and her feet on tiptoes as high
as the chains at her ankles would let her go. Jesse had to shake the sweat
out of her eyes, and she found herself gasping almost as much as Nix was.

Nix could feel the orgasm, but no matter what she did, she just couldn't
reach it. Her body, over stimulated as it was, began to rebel, and though
Jesse wasn't backing off at all, it seemed like the orgasm would elude
her again.

"Jesse, help me. I can't -- oh, fuck, shit, Jesse . . . please!"

Jesse knew she had to maneuver carefully. Leaning over, she picked
up the slender rod that had so panicked Nix earlier. Instead of a large
brand hanging from the end of it, there was only Jesse's signet ring, one
she'd had for years. This had been clamped onto the end of the rod, and
set to heat in the electric coil. It glowed now, and Jesse was careful
to hold it by the wooden handle.

While she did this, she made sure she kept her arm moving, fucking
Nix. Jesse knew that if she just continued what she was doing, the orgasm
Nix would eventually reach would be a very mild one, and then there would
be only pain. To get her from euphoria to nirvana, there had to be at least
one shocking sensation that would make the orgasm flare across oversensitive
nerve endings. Jesse had planned two shocks.

Shifting a foot, she set her toe over the button that would throw
the vibrator on Nix's clit to its highest speed. Then she placed the red
hot metal just inches from Nix's jerking hips. Concentrating on Nix's reactions
to let her know when the right moment came, she waited.

Nix's muscles begin to clamp down on her hand, but Jesse waited a
fraction of a second more. Then she toed the button and jammed the burning
brand into the flesh just above Nix's thigh.

Nix screamed. Every muscle in her body convulsed and clenched. This
wasn't just orgasm, it was every orgasm she'd ever had, only she was feeling
them all at the same time. It was muscle-crushing, blood-rushing, gut-clenching,
and mind-numbingly intense, and before it ended, she'd ripped open one
of the links on her chains, dropping her left arm to hang down at her side.

Jesse had counted to ten, then taken the branding iron away, tossing
it toward the implement rack. Then she slowly turned down the intensity
of the vibrator, watching as the muscle spasms peaked and then slowed.
When she saw the chain break, she realized Nix wouldn't be able to hold
herself up, and she cursed, wrapping her free arm around the vampire, and
letting her lean forward over her shoulder. She winced as she felt her
wrist, still trapped inside Nix's vagina, twist and give. As soon as she
could, Jesse eased her fist out of it's soft prison, grimacing at the pain.
Then she was reaching for the panic button embedded in the post, knowing
she'd need help to get Nix safely out of her chains.

Nix felt the hand pull out, and moaned. She was barely conscious,
her mind slowly shutting down as her body relaxed. Swallowing against the
dryness of her mouth, she managed to whisper Jesse's name.

"I'm here, Nix. I'll have you out of the cuffs in a minute. Just
relax, love. You did well, and I'm proud of you."

The vampire swallowed again. "I --"

"Shh. It's all right. I love you, Nix. Just rest."

The opening of the door filtered through her consciousness, and she
could hear voices, but she couldn't seem to care. Jesse loved her. That
was the last thought that followed her down into the darkness.